After the programme does Christianity have a future? see iplayer here (our bit is around 37 mins in) I wanted to start a discussion about what I thought the programmes was going to be about which was more about the emerging shape of Christianity and how the values of Gen Y influence and change the way we do church. Ann Widecombe seemed to have an agenda around traditional approaches to faith, and how much she was involved in shifting the focus of the programme i am unsure. Dave Wiles summed it up nicely “Dear old Anne playing with red herrings”
SO am asking the question does christianity have a future in a new shape and what does that shape look like?
Heres one colour that I think the new picture will be painted with to get you started – it will be apologectic free, people will not bother about arguements like did God create the world in seven days, and whilst people may ask those sort of questions, answers will not be about justifying a defence but explaining that it doesnt matter and only giving their view as one of the options about what the truth may be.
richard – didn’t see the programme – but my view for many years is that institutional Chirstianity is dead, it is of a past age and has essentially restricted the message of Christ. I think that it has always been incarnational. Which means letting go of a transendant god and fully embracing that the divine dwells within us, within others and within nature. If we fully lived and believed this message, the way we treat ourselves, others and nature would radically change and the kingdom/queendom on earth would be realised!!
any further thoughts richard?
I agree James but find the current transitional period hard as someone with a foot in both camps. Especially as the local baptist minister is very open to experimental new forms of church. Always in a quandary whether to reject all the links and am pretty sure that the institutions get in the way of kingdom shalom but shalom also means embracing the people in the institutions. So as someone on the edge I am caught but I do think change happens from the edge and can see that in the local church context.
I hear that Richard. But I am not convinced that insitutions really change – for the past 50-60 years we have had numerous new and creative churches that either implode or create the same monster. I don’t think that anything at depth will change as it is all moving things within the same pardigm. That paradigm includes a reliance and a lack of questioning of male centred theology and structures, the power of patriachy, the importance of dogma over life, the rational/ thinking being more important then the body/feelings, and a theology more interested in life after death than life before death.
Yes people caught in the institutions need to embrace wholeness – but I suppose my view is that it is impossible to change or fix the other especially when they are convicned they have the truth or the right path – others have to discover the change they want for themselves when they are ready. For many they will never me ready!
the last sentence was meant to read …Many will never be ready!